Westerpark and Westergasfabriek: Amsterdam park and culture hub

Updated on October 2, 2026

Twenty minutes' walk from Central Station, the Westerpark combines a neighbourhood park laid out from 1890 onwards with the site of the former Westergasfabriek gasworks, which closed in 1967. The factory's brick buildings, designed by Isaac Gosschalk in Dutch Neo-Renaissance style and listed as national monuments, now house a cinema, a brewery, restaurants, and concert and performance venues. Between them, a landscaped park designed by Kathryn Gustafson and reopened in 2003 strings together lawns, ponds and water gardens. Entry is free, day and night. Locals come here to run, picnic or browse the Sunday market; the big summer festivals and the Amsterdam Dance Event nights also draw thousands of visitors.

Highlights

The Gashouder

This round gasholder from 1903, which could hold 100,000 m³ of gas, is the site's most recognisable landmark. Its huge circular hall, stripped of its tank, hosts concerts, electronic music nights and major events, especially during the Amsterdam Dance Event in October. You can only get in with a ticket for an event.

The gasworks buildings

Seventeen industrial buildings, built from 1883 for a London gas company and taken over by the city in 1898, have kept their original facades. The Ketelhuis houses a cinema devoted to Dutch film, the Zuiveringshal the Fabrique des Lumières, an immersive digital exhibition centre, and the Machinegebouw a brasserie. The Troost brewery brews its beer on site.

The water gardens

The park designed by Kathryn Gustafson with the Mecanoo practice, winners of the 1997 competition, runs from an urban esplanade in the east to wilder spaces in the west. The water lily pond, with its wooden walkways, sits on the site of a former gasholder. Further east, the original Westerpark keeps its fountain ponds, ducks and tall trees.

The Sunday market

The Sunday Market is held on the first Sunday of the month from 12 pm to 6 pm, in the grounds and in a hall of the Westergasfabriek, with an extra edition before Christmas: designers, vintage, art and street food stalls, free entry. Upcoming dates announced: 4 October, 1 November, 6 and 20 December 2026, 3 January, 7 February, 7 March and 4 April 2027.

Infos pratiques

Tips

The park is always open and free; only events, the Fabrique des Lumières and cinema screenings charge admission, with tickets sold on their official websites. Check the Westergas calendar before you come: on festival days, part of the lawns is closed off. With children, the Boerderij Westerpark children's farm (Overbrakerpad 10, free entry) and the De Krakeling youth theatre are on site. Het Schip, the jewel of the Amsterdam School, is ten minutes' walk north of the park: our page on the Het Schip museum gives opening hours and prices.

How to get there

Westergas, Polonceaukade 9, 1014 DA Amsterdam. From Central Station, bus 21 to the Van Hallstraat/Westergasfabriek stop, the closest; bus 18 to Haarlemmerplein, then about 15 minutes on foot. Tram 5 (from Amsterdam Zuid station or Leidseplein) to the Van Hallstraat/Westergasfabriek stop. On foot, allow about 20 minutes from Central Station via the Haarlemmerstraat and the Haarlemmerdijk; by bike, about 10 minutes. The site is almost car-free; paid car parks nearby.